My Angel
by Kasoula
Summary: If Ginny thought that life couldn't get anymore complicated, then she has another thing coming. Because we all know that Horcruxes, dogs, and a certain Draco Malfoy tend to complicate things just a smidge.
1. Of Horcruxes and Harry Potter

The madness of Ginny and Draco started on April 20 at exactly 8:27 PM. It was then that Draco Malfoy turned up sopping wet, begging for help, at the doorstep of the Burrow. Molly Weasley, who was home at the time, saw that he was not his usual sleek and well-kept self and took pity on him, bringing him into the house at the exact moment that Ginny Weasley, who had been visiting, was leaving. She nearly tripped over her own feet at the sight of a drenched and unkempt Draco Malfoy. She had absolutely no idea what Draco would be doing at her former home, at night, in the rain, without an army of Death Eaters behind him. She would have asked what was going on, but her mother gave her a look and she continued on her way, her mind baffled.

It wasn't until later that she learned that Draco had come because he needed help. Harry had managed to destroy most of Voldemort's Horcruxes, meaning that he was very much weakened. He needed a plan, and a good one at that. He decided that he would use Draco's body as a Horcrux, assuming that the Order wouldn't dare try to destroy it. Draco, liking his body way too much to lend it to anyone, much less a Dark Lord bent on world domination who would possibly get him killed, refused to give himself up and now every Death Eater in the country was after him at Voldemort's orders. Draco needed protection, which was why he had come to the Burrow, to ask for the protection that Dumbledore had offered him eight years ago. At first, Molly was a little wary, but after contacting other members of the Order, it was decided that they had to honor Dumbledore's offer.

Much to Ginny's discontent, she discovered all this when she returned to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place that evening and walked right into Draco, who was lurking around the corner of the corridor.

"Hey! Watch it!" Draco exclaimed, glaring at her.

"Sorry," Ginny said defensively. "Don't lurk around corners and it won't be a problem."

Surprisingly, Draco didn't respond. Instead, he fixed her with an odd look. Ginny turned around abruptly and stormed down to the kitchen, where she found her mother, Ron, and Harry. They all greeted her when she entered, but faltered when they saw the look on her face and the set of her stance.

"Okay, would someone care to explain why the _hell_ Draco Malfoy is hanging around headquarters?" she exclaimed, fixing each person with an accusatory look.

"Now, Ginny dear, calm down," her mother said in a placatory tone, looking up from her cooking. "We had to give him protection. Dumbledore had offered it to him before he died."

"And why in Merlin's name would Malfoy need protection from the Order of the Phoenix when, last I checked, it was our goal to have him in Azkaban?" Ginny demanded furiously.

"Well, Gin, it's a really long story…" Ron and Harry launched into the story, each saying Draco's name as though it were a disease every time he came up. As Ginny listened her expression went from angry to incredulous.

"So, let me get this straight," she said once they had finished. "You-Know-Who wants to turn Malfoy into a Horcrux?"

Harry nodded.

"If that isn't the _lamest_ story I have ever heard, God strike me now!" Ginny concluded, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

"Ginny, believe it or not, it's not as lame as you think," Ron said, sighing and resting his head in his hands. "If Malfoy was turned into a Horcrux, we would have difficulties trying to destroy it because it would mean killing him. The only problem is, he's not willing, and You-Know-Who isn't going to chance trying to turn one of his other Death Eaters into a Horcrux because they're not nearly as strong as Malfoy. It's all really complicated."

"So, you're saying he's just suddenly…redeemed himself and seen the light?" Ginny asked somewhat sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at her brother.

"No, I'm saying we have to protect him because Dumbledore had offered it before he died and we have to honor his dying wishes."

Ginny refrained from pointing out that they wouldn't even be his dying wishes if it weren't for Malfoy.

Just then, Hermione entered the room and Ron's expression lightened immediately. She surveyed the scene before her and seemed to pick up on Ginny's annoyance.

"Okay, what happened?" she asked in a resigned tone, going and sitting down beside Ron.

"Malfoy, that's what," Ginny replied bitterly, taking a seat opposite the Trio and launching into the story Ron and Harry had just told her. Hermione's expression turned from tired to absolutely incredulous.

When Ginny finished, Hermione sighed and leaned against Ron, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Ron swiftly pulled her onto his lap, and she smiled as she leaned back against him and closed her eyes.

"I'll just, um, leave you two alone…" Ginny said hastily, not liking to ever interrupt the extremely fluffy moments between her brother and his wife. She got up and quickly made her getaway, only to bump into Draco again.

"My, my, Weasel, you're just turning up everywhere!" he said, smirking. Ginny glared at him.

"Just because you're under our protection because you were too scared of You-Know-Who to defy him doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, Ferret Boy!" she said in an edgy tone.

"Scared, was I, Weasel?" he said, leaning lazily against the wall behind him.

"Yes, so scared you came groveling to your old schoolmates, whom you never liked until it was convenient for you. And now if you think that we'll all take dearly to you because you don't want Voldy to turn you into a safe for his soul, then I think you're much mistaken. You're still evil, and you still disgust me."

"Well, getting personal now, Weasel. You surprise me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I always saw you as the calm, quiet type. Kind of the opposite of Granger really."

"You obviously thought wrong," she retorted, storming past him and not stopping until she reached her room. She shut the door behind her and bolted it before flopping down on her bed, much as she had done numerous times in her youth. Why did she have to put up with him? Yes, he was still as hot as he'd ever been, but he was also as incredibly evil as he'd ever been. She could not believe that there was any way that he could suddenly be on the Light side, when he'd spent his whole life immersed in Darkness. She suspected that this was either some elaborate scheme of Voldemort's or else Draco would just hide until Harry finally killed Voldemort for good, and then the slimy git would go back out into the world and continue to spread evil. He was a Malfoy to the core, self-centered and always looking out for his own interests. When it came down to it, he was a coward, taking the easy way out.

Ginny sighed. She had been hoping for a peaceful spring, but apparently no such luck. With Malfoy to deal with, life would be anything but peaceful.

* * *

Dinner that night was eaten in the most tense atmosphere Ginny had ever had to sit through. Nobody would look in Draco's direction. Mrs. Weasley tried to keep the mood cheerful with smiles and attempts at conversation, helped along by Remus Lupin (though rather half-heartedly) and Tonks, but Harry and Ron kept exchanging glances, Hermione was too tired to do anything but smile weakly, and Ginny kept her eyes downcast. All the while, Draco was uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes on his food, only looking up to scan the table from time to time.

Ginny ate quickly and excused herself promptly, then retreated to the warmth of the sitting room, where she found Harry's giant black dog Snuffles. Harry had picked up the dog a year after he left Hogwarts. He had found him on the street, and the shaggy black dog had reminded him so much of Sirius that he had to take him in. His name is self-explanatory. When Ginny entered, Snuffles barked and began licking her hands. She smiled and gently pushed the dog's snout away before flopping down on the couch in front of the fire. Snuffles jumped up after her and curled up at the far end of the couch, his tongue lolling out as he panted.

Ginny stared into the dancing flames and contemplated the current situation she was faced with. Draco Malfoy was living with her. He was obnoxious, rude, annoying, and unbearably evil. He was also under the Order's protection until the threat of Voldemort subsided. Ginny prayed that Harry would be able to finish him off next time they fought. But the issue still remained that _Draco Malfoy was living in the same house as Ginny_!

_Oh boy! If anybody at work catches wind of this, there's going to be hell to pay!_ Ginny thought, holding her head in her hands. She worked at the Daily Prophet, and she had never met a bunch of nosier people than her coworkers. If they found out that Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy fortune and one of the most coveted men in Britain (by Aurors and women alike), was suddenly under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix, they'd have a field day. And much worse, they'd probably cook up some far-fetched rumor that he was having an affair with Hermione, or even _Ginny_! She snorted aloud at the thought, making Snuffles jerk his head up to fix her with an inquisitive look.

_Yeah right, Malfoy and me, _together_. Pfft! That will _never_ happen._ She shook her head and adjusted herself more comfortably on the couch. He was evil and stubborn and a total snarky, stuck-up git. And she was, well, pretty stubborn, but other than that she was basically the opposite of him. They were like…fire and ice! Total opposites, if there ever were any.

A few minutes later, it occurred to Ginny that she was starting to sound slightly obsessive when listing why she and Malfoy were opposites and halted that thought process, or at least tried to. Then, an alarming though flitted across her mind. _What if the only reason you're so determined to prove that you and Malfoy are opposites is because you have a thing for him…?_ Woah! Where on Earth did that thought come from? She didn't have a thing for Draco Malfoy. She'd sooner have a thing for a garden gnome. The only thing Malfoy had going for him was looks. She couldn't actually _like_ him…could she?

_Stop that Ginny! Of course you don't like him! _Still, she had developed an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, and try as she might, she couldn't make it go away.


	2. The Knight Who Killed the King

That night, Ginny couldn't sleep. She kept waking up from these insanely vivid dreams involving Draco in his boxers and a hooded figure trying to kill her. At around 3 AM, she gave up trying to sleep any longer and sat up in bed, groping in the darkness until she found her wand. With a whispered spell, it lit up and she was able to see properly. She then opened her drawer and pulled out a stack of envelopes and some clean parchment. Ginny was the advice columnist, and she decided that she may as well get a head start on some of those letters. Besides, sometimes the best advice came to her at odd hours.

The first three letters were about ex-husbands and wives, the fourth about a family feud, and the fifth about issues with self-perception. The next letter stopped Ginny dead in her tracks.

_Dear Ginny,_

I'm writing because I have a dilemma that's been messing with my head lately. I know this man, and he and I have never really gotten along very well. Actually, most people say he's pretty evil. Anyway, he and I are like opposites, and yet, I think I'm falling in love with him. This can't possibly be true though. How can I fall in love with someone whom I've basically hated for so long? It's driving me crazy, wondering if I love him or not and battling with my own feelings. What should I do?

_Signed,_

Attracted to Opposites

She reread this letter several times, trying to convince herself that this was absolutely nothing like the situation in which she found herself. She sat thinking for a full half-hour, trying to come up with some advice for this person. None came. She moved on to the next letter, but she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that she had no idea what to tell this person because she had no clue what to do herself.

At around 6 AM Ginny got out of bed and readied herself for work. She then went down to the kitchen to find her mother busily preparing breakfast. As Ginny sat down, Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and a steaming cup of coffee appeared.

"Thanks Mum," Ginny said, gently blowing on the coffee before taking a sip.

"Ginny, you look dreadful, didn't you sleep?" her mother commented, turning around and inspecting her daughter's face.

"I'm fine, Mum, really," she replied, waving the question off with a hand gesture. Her mother looked at her skeptically, then returned to the food being prepared. In a few minutes, she set a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast down in front of Ginny, who smiled and began eating. She quickly finished, then Apparated to work.

* * *

Ginny came home from work feeling as if she were going to collapse. She quickly greeted everyone upon entering, then proceeded to flop down on the couch in the sitting room. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, taking in the warmth of the fire in front of her. Dimly, she could hear the door open then close and urgent voices. She then heard footsteps approaching and she opened her eyes, looking around. Harry and Lupin were standing in the doorway, faces grave. Ginny sat up quickly.

"What's going on?"

"Lucius Malfoy escaped from Azkaban," Harry replied, face composed but his eyes flashing. "We have information about where he and the other Death Eaters are due to strike next."

"Where?"

"Just outside of Hertfordshire, but you're not coming."

"Why not?"

"It's too dangerous."

"Harry, I'm not a little girl anymore. I know the risks involved, and I'm willing to put my life on the line if it means helping to stop You-Know-Who. I can make my own decisions."

"Yes, but Ginny—"

"Harry," Lupin said calmly, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, "she's right. She can make her own decisions and she's not a little girl anymore." He then turned to Ginny. "Be ready in two minutes."

"Got it!"

Ginny dashed upstairs and grabbed a small leather case. It contained several different potions for interrogation, healing, antidotes, and even a few poisons. She checked to make sure her wand was stowed, then ran downstairs to find Tonks, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Lupin congregated by the door, as well as Draco, who appeared to be arguing with them.

"Malfoy, Dumbledore was kind enough to offer you a safe haven until Voldemort is defeated, we were kind enough to give it to you, and you're willing to waltz out of here just to act all brave," Harry was saying.

"No, I'm willing to leave to finish what I had started," Draco replied coolly.

"Which is?"

"That's my business."

"Malfoy, unless you tell us what it is you're determined to do, we can't let you out," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone. "In fact, we really can't let you leave anyway because we're under orders to keep you here where you'll be protected."

"Listen, we're losing time sitting here arguing with him," Ron said, exasperated. "Who cares, if he wants to risk his neck, fine with me. He can't say we didn't try to stop him." He looked up and noticed his sister. "Ready to go, Gin?"

Ginny nodded and joined the group. Lupin was holding an old hat, which he held out. Everyone put a finger on it and waited.

"Three…two…one…"

Ginny felt a jerk behind her navel. In a few moments, they had arrived in some sort of forest, and Ginny stumbled and fell into Draco, who lost his balance and fell as well. There was a moment where they awkwardly looked at each other, then Ginny quickly got up and brushed herself off. Draco followed suit.

Harry was gesturing for them to follow him, and put a finger to his lips to let them know to keep quiet. They crept slowly to the edge of the forest and peered through the trees. They were looking at someone's house…Hermione's parents' house.

"No," Hermione breathed, searching the sky for the dreaded Dark Mark.

"They haven't struck yet," Harry assured her. Of course, there was no Mark in the sky. "We've got one chance to do this right. Lupin and I will be waiting inside. The rest of you will be waiting here to strike once we've surprised them."

"And my parents?" Hermione asked, distressed. Ron put an arm around her and hugged her close, kissing the top of her head.

"They're hidden," Harry replied, pulling something silvery out of the depths of his cloak.

"Remember, don't strike until the signal," Lupin said.

"What's the signal?" Ginny asked.

"A red feather," Harry replied, before disappearing beneath the invisibility cloak along with Lupin.

The sky was cloudy and gray, and it was slowly starting to rain. It was only a light drizzle, so they had nothing to worry about yet. Ron was still holding Hermione close. Draco was leaning against a nearby tree, gazing up at the sky. Tonks was sitting on a large, moss-covered rock, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Ginny was simply standing in the same place, letting the reality of everything sink in. This was not her first time battling Death Eaters, but this time, Hermione's parents' lives were at stake. She was also going to be fighting alongside Draco, in some way, which in a million years she would have never imagined to happen. She was unaware of the passing of time, and pretty soon she heard a sharp intake of breath from Hermione, who was then shushed by Ron.

Upon looking up, Ginny saw the ranks of the Death Eaters sweeping up the street to the front door. There was only the inner circle, the important ones so to speak, with Voldemort at the head of the group. Their hoods were up, their faces in shadow. Ginny was perplexed, because to her knowledge Voldemort was supposed to be weak, but here he appeared to be able to sweep menacingly up the steps in perfect health. However, she had no time to fathom this because a sudden movement made her look over and see that Draco had whipped out his wand and was now stealthily moving through the trees, closer to the Death Eaters.

"Malfoy!" Ginny hissed. He looked back at her. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago," and with that, he continued on his stealthy way.

There was then a resounding bang as Voldemort blasted away the door. The Death Eaters started slipping into the house. There was another bang, a strangled cry, and then a red feather appeared in the air in front of Ginny. She caught it, held it up, and immediately everyone sprang into action. As they all moved towards the house, Ginny glanced back and caught a glimpse of a blond head in the woods before turning back around and losing track of Draco.

Inside the house, the hexes were already flying. Ginny jumped immediately into the fray, hitting three Death Eaters before her presence became known. She was battling people left and right, along with her comrades, when suddenly a hush fell over the room and everyone stopped and stared, with the exception of Harry and Voldemort, whom everyone could here battling it out upstairs, the noises drifting through the floorboards. Draco was standing at the foot of the stairs, wand in hand, his expression triumphant. There was a body at his feet; the same white-blond hair, the same cold, gray eyes, the same pale complexion.

Lucius Malfoy was dead, at the hands of none other than his only son.

Ginny gasped upon seeing the body, cold and lifeless. She then shifted her gaze to Draco, who was breathing hard through his nose, his hair damp and sweaty and hanging in his eyes. His gray eyes, so often cold and forbidding, now flashed with a fire Ginny had never seen before. He had killed his own father, though the reason was one that Ginny could only speculate for the time being.

The Death Eaters all Disapparated with one loud _crack!_ The noises continued from upstairs for a few more minutes, and then there was silence. Harry thundered down the stairs, sweaty and red-faced, saying:

"They must've given him a Strengthening Solution," Harry panted. "He just suddenly up and Disapparated. I have no idea why…" He trailed off upon looking around Draco, who was blocking his path down the stairs, and seeing Malfoy Sr.'s corpse. He looked from it to Draco, then back again, his expression that of complete and utter shock.

"That definitely gives new meaning to the term 'unfinished business,'" Ron remarked, breaking the silence. Draco looked around at everyone, his expression cryptic, and launched into a very short explanation.

"He deserved that," he said, his tone cold. "He deserved that more than anyone. He made my life a living Hell, so I sent him straight to the real one." He bent down and pushed his father's eyelids shut. "Goodbye, Father dearest," he said mockingly, taking his father's wand and staring at it for a moment, before breaking it in two. Ginny just gaped, absolutely stunned over what she had just witnessed.

Draco looked around at everyone, took one final look at his father's corpse, then Disapparated with a _crack_ that seemed to echo in the silent house.

* * *

The next day, Ginny worked from home (or rather Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place), being too tired to go into the office. She hauled her stacks of letters, parchment, quills, and her inkwell down to the sitting room, where she flopped down onto the couch in front of the fire and got straight to work, cup of coffee in hand. Once again, the letter that she could not answer caught her eye. She quickly shoved it out of sight. She worked steadily until around noon, when she was interrupted by a knock. She looked up and saw her mother rapping on the doorjamb with her knuckles, as tray in her other hand.

"Ginny, dear, I've brought you some sandwiches and pumpkin juice." She brought the tray over and laid it down on the coffee table. Ginny thanked her mother and put her work aside, pulling the tray onto her lap. As she was eating, Draco wandered into the room, so quietly that when he came around into Ginny's view, she jumped.

"Malfoy! Holy crap, what're you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" Ginny exclaimed.

Draco simply shrugged and sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her. Snuffles came wandering into the room and Draco scratched him behind the ears, while the dog panted happily. Ginny smiled; seeing the evil Draco Malfoy look soft while petting a dog was quite a sight indeed.

"What?" Draco asked, seeing her smiling.

"Nothing, nothing at all…" Ginny replied, returning to her lunch. When she was done, she found that Draco was now gazing into the dancing flames.

"So," Ginny found herself saying, "what did your father do to you?"

Draco looked at her, and for a moment Ginny regretted having asked that question. For a second, she could've sworn she saw pain in his eyes, but it passed so quickly that she was sure she had imagined it. It seemed as though he wasn't going to answer, but then he sighed.

"He used to beat me," Draco said quietly, "whenever I didn't do as he wished. He believed that pain was the best teacher. He used to beat me every time I messed up, or didn't agree with him. I learned at an early age to block out emotion. When people called me an unfeeling bastard, they weren't that far off."

Ginny looked at him. She had had no idea of his tough life. But that didn't change the fact that he was evil, she added as an afterthought. That was no excuse to have tormented her. Though she told herself this, she couldn't help think that she had secretly hoped he hadn't had a reason for killing his father, so she could have something really bad for which to hate him, so she wouldn't feel like she was actually starting to like him. _No, Ginny, you do not like Draco Malfoy in the least!_ Though she had to admit, she had a heightened respect for him since he had gotten rid of his father, who had been a prominent Death Eater.

There was an awkward silence in which they both stared into the fire. Then Ginny, ever the straightforward one, asked a question.

"Why do you hate me?" Ginny asked. She immediately saw the vulnerable side of him, which had surfaced while he talked about his father, melt away and he returned to his usual self.

"Who says I hate you, Weasley?"

"Well, gee, the fact that you spent all six years that we were at Hogwarts together making fun of me, that was bit of a giveaway."

"Who says I haven't changed?"

"Well…"

"Who says I wasn't like that to please my father, or to protect myself from feeling, or simply because I was a stuck-up schoolboy?"

"Er…"

"I'm not the same person I was then, Weasley."

Ginny fixed him with an even gaze. "Prove it."

Draco met her gaze for a moment, then, keeping his eyes locked with hers, got up and walked to stand right in front of her. He then leaned down and braced himself against the back of the couch with his arms on either side of her, his face inches from hers, never once breaking eye contact. They gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like ages, Ginny noticing how terribly _hot_ he was. Finally, Draco tore his eyes way and stood upright again.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone, especially not you, Weaselette," he said, his Malfoy air returning as though the past few minutes had never happened. Ginny felt herself start to get angry with him, though the reason was one that she couldn't figure out. She made a frustrated noise, then gathered her things and stormed out.

As she stomped up the stairs, Ginny's mind replayed again and again what had just happened. He had been so close, and she had felt something, something that scared her. She had felt actual _chemistry_ between them. But then he pulled away and took up his conceited Malfoy tone again, and her heart, which had risen on a bubble of hope, had fallen. She made another frustrated noise as she reached her room and shut the door, not even knowing why she bothered with him.

_It had been so much easier when I hated him and was convinced that he was evil scum without the capacity of feeling!_ Ginny thought as she flopped onto her bed, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling. But she had seen real emotions flash behind his eyes in that moment when he had let his guard down. And she had felt real emotions in her heart too, as he held her gaze like he never had before.


	3. Snogging in the Rain

The next day, Ginny had somehow convinced herself that what she had felt yesterday was simply the effects of too much caffeine. She wasn't really attracted to Draco, and he most _definitely_ wasn't attracted to her in the least. And as for the flashes of emotion, those were her imagination, also the result of too much caffeine. As far as she was concerned, he was an evil little scumbag who happened to have committed an act of goodness by killing his father, as paradoxical as that is. But the fact still remained that he was only there because he wanted to save his own skin, and given the choice, he probably wouldn't be around the Order of the Phoenix.

As she didn't have work that day, after breakfast Ginny decided to take Snuffles for a long walk. Considering everyone had been extremely busy lately, he hadn't been out of the headquarters for a while. She found his leash and collar, then found him. When he spotted the leash, he barked ecstatically, and rather loudly, and soon shrieks could be heard echoing throughout the house.

"**_Children of FILTH…_**"

Ginny groaned, having forgotten all about the portrait of Mrs. Black, as it had been a while since the last time anyone had woken it up. Snuffles whimpered, putting his tail between his legs. Harry came thundering down the stairs, followed by Ron, Hermione, and Draco.

"What the _hell_ is that?" Draco demanded, looking slightly disgruntled. He appeared to have just rolled out of bed, as he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and his hair was slightly mussed. Ginny was amazed that even after having just rolled out of bed, Draco still looked incredibly sexy! He had defined muscles and a broad chest, and even better, he had a six-pack.

"That would be an incredibly annoying portrait," Harry said, rushing off with Ron and Hermione to silence Mrs. Black as she continued to shriek.

"…_**scum! Disgracing the house of our fathers! Mudbloods…**_"

At least Kreacher was no longer there to add to the experience. He had died the year after Sirius had, having crawled into the airing cupboard and passed on (coincidentally the way that Sirius had once mentioned he hoped the house elf might die).

A few moments later, the shrieking stopped and Harry and Ron returned.

"What woke her up?" Ron asked.

"Snuffles," Ginny replied, buckling his collar and snapping the leash on. "I'll be back later."

Ginny left and started down the street, heading towards the nearby park, Snuffles trotting along happily before her. It was a wonderful spring day. It was neither too cold, nor too warm either. Birds flitted across the sky and squirrels chased each other up trees. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

The park was fairly empty, surprisingly, save for a few children with their mothers. Ginny walked Snuffles around the small pond in the middle of the park, then led him around the edge of the playground. Suddenly, Snuffles broke into a flat-out run, dragging her behind him.

"Snuffles! Stop! Heel! Something!"

Snuffles kept running, and Ginny was nearly losing her footing. Just then, as he whipped her around the corner, she slammed full on into Draco. Why he was in the park, she had no idea. It seems it was he that Snuffles had been looking for, because the dog was barking happily and trying to lick Draco's hand.

"Malfoy!"

Ginny was looking up into his gray eyes. He met her gaze and she was reminded forcibly of the other day. Perhaps it hadn't been the caffeine after all.

"Weasley," Draco breathed, reaching up to brush a piece of her hair back. But Ginny pulled away upon hearing that name.

"What?" Draco asked, bewildered, as Ginny stormed away, pulling Snuffles with her. But she didn't acknowledge him. That had stung. He couldn't even call her by her first name. She was just a _Weasley_ to him. She felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes, which only heightened her anger. She wasn't even sure of where she was going. She exited the park and kept walking, still not knowing where she was going. If she kept walking, she could keep the tears from falling. If the tears fell, it would be admitting defeat. Defeat of what? Ginny wasn't sure.

Somehow, she ended up back at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. She removed Snuffles' leash and collar, then proceeded to storm down to the kitchen. Thankfully, she found it empty, and she was able to raid the fridge in peace. However, she found no chocolate in there, nor in the pantry, so she simply conjured some for herself. Chocolate was her comfort food. When the world was crumbling down, chocolate was her lifeline, oddly enough. It must have been the caffeine in it, or something.

Just as she was finishing her chocolate, Harry came bursting in.

"We've just had word that Voldemort is due to strike at the Delaney residence," Harry informed her. "We've got to leave here within the next two minutes."

"Fine, then. _Accio Potions Kit!_" Ginny said, waiting a few seconds while the potions box she carried during these sorts of things zoomed to her outstretched hand, glad that Harry had finally accepted the fact that she was a competent member of the Order. She tucked the box away in her robes, then stood up. "I'm ready."

Ginny followed him to the front hall, where everyone else was waiting. This time, they were also accompanied by Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt, but not Hermione, who was on call at St. Mungo's today. Moody held a rusty soup can, which Ginny assumed would be turned into a Portkey.

"Now that we're all here…" Moody said in his growly voice, trailing off. Everyone knew what to do, and they all put a finger to the can. After a few seconds, Ginny felt that pull behind her navel and was being whisked away, Lupin knocking her on one side, Ron on the other. A few moments later, her feet made contact with the ground. This time, it looked like she was in a field. In fact, she was in someone's immense backyard, and could see a house over to her far left. She quickly scanned the sky and found it devoid of the Dark Mark, which reassured her for the time being. She then noticed that Draco had not accompanied them this time. _What'd you expect, a redeemed Draco? He killed his father, he's done now._

"Okay, same thing as last time, don't move until you see the signal," Harry said quickly, disappearing under his Invisibility Cloak along with Lupin. Kingsley Disillusioned himself and the three of them headed off to the house.

Ginny sat down on a nearby tree stump, looking around with a sigh. Of course, it had started to rain. It wasn't so bad at first, a light mist, but then it started getting heavier. Just as she had been about to put a charm on herself to keep from getting soaked, the signal appeared. Ginny stood up and started running towards the house along with the others. However, they didn't make it as far as the house. Death Eaters Apparated all around them. Soon, spells were flying this way and that, and Ginny had no time to think about anything except each Death Eater she battled.

After about the third Death Eater, Ginny received a spell right across her shoulder that left a searing pain and a large gash that immediately started bleeding profusely. However, she had no time to do anything about it since there was another Death Eater advancing on her. The rain was really coming down now, to make matters worse. It was as if the Heavens had opened up and poured out an ocean on them all.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise as though an explosion had gone off. Ginny whipped her head around to see what had caused it, and in her moment of distraction, she was hit square in the chest with a hex. She let out a strangled cry and started to fall, when someone uttered a loud spell and strong arms caught her. She looked up and was suddenly sure she was delusional. A dripping wet Draco Malfoy was holding her.

"Draco?" she whispered, trying to put her hand to his face to see if he was real, but she suddenly felt overcome with weakness. He shushed her and fell to his knees, still holding her, his eyes locked with hers. His white shirt was ripped and muddy, and it had a bloodstain on it from where Ginny's gash was bleeding onto it. It was sticking to his chest and had become fairly see-through with the rain.

"Ginny," he breathed, still not breaking eye contact. The spells were flying all around them, and yet they were oblivious to it all. Ginny was only aware of his gray eyes, and his strong arms supporting her, and his lips as he leaned his head forward and kissed her. She suddenly felt herself melting, overcome with sheer bliss. She found the strength to put her arms around his neck, which prompted him to deepen the kiss. The rain continued to fall heavily, and the battle raged on around them. Finally, they broke apart as another loud bang went off. Draco looked around, found the source of the explosion, then stood up, pulling Ginny up with him.

"Come with me," he whispered, his mouth next to her ear. As she was too weak to walk, she had no choice, and so she simply nodded and let Draco carry her away from the spells and hexes and to the shelter of what appeared to be the Delaneys' garden shed. There, he laid her down and proceeded to examine the gash on her shoulder.

"Where's your potions kit?" he asked.

Ginny pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him. He scanned through the contents before finding one and poured a few drops of it on her wound. She glanced at it and saw it closing and healing over, with a weird tingling sensation. Draco then scanned the potions until he found another one. Of this, he poured a few drops into Ginny's mouth and instructed her to swallow. She obeyed and instantly felt some of her strength returning. It was only then that she realized that she had just kissed Draco Malfoy, in the rain, in the middle of a war no less.

"Draco, I don't—"

"Shh!" Draco silenced her by pressing his mouth to hers in a passionate, fiery kiss. Ginny forgot everything she had been about to say and let herself melt in his arms.

Ginny didn't come back to her senses until she realized that Draco was struggling to unhook her bra. She pulled back, though it took most of her willpower, and found that somehow Draco's shirt had also come off.

"Draco, this isn't right," Ginny said, searching for her shirt. "They're out there fighting and we're in here snogging. We really should go back out there." She found her shirt abandoned in a corner and grabbed it. In the process of trying to put it back on, Draco retrieved his own shirt, then checked his hair in the reflection on the back of a shovel.

"The world could be coming down, and you would still stop to check your hair," Ginny said flatly, rolling her eyes and getting up. As she left, she glanced back at Draco, who was indifferently straightening his clothes, not even looking up as she left. Wait…indifferent? That made no sense! He had saved her, and had just been passionately snogging her, and had almost unclothed her, and now he was acting completely indifferent. Ginny was suddenly overcome with anger again as she stormed back into the thick of things, somehow managing to channel all her anger into battling with the Death Eaters. And still, the rain fell.


	4. Confusion and Restless Nights

Eventually, the battle ended, the Death Eaters all Apparating away. Three people had died, two of which were Death Eaters and the other was John Delaney, whom Harry hadn't gotten to in time to save. Nearly everyone was somehow injured. Harry seemed to be much worse for the wear. The next day he had massive bags under his eyes, and he was rather hoarse. He came down briefly to get some tea, then returned to his room, saying only that Voldemort was weaker, but not weak enough that he was easy to take on, and that at this point they probably had him on steroids or something (Ginny refrained from asking what steroids were). Everyone figured that he blamed himself for John Delaney's death, because he usually shut himself in his room when in this state of post-death depression and exhaustion.

Ginny, on the other hand, was locked in her room not because of fatigue, but because of her anger…and confusion. She was mostly furious with Draco, but also with herself. She couldn't believe that she had let herself get seduced by that…that…greasy little ferret! He had obviously taken advantage of her, viewed her as a one-night stand. Ha! She hadn't given him the satisfaction of going that far. He hadn't even looked at her afterwards, much less spoken to her, or even acknowledged the fact that he had very recently been snogging her in a garden shed. It made her so mad to think about it, and yet it was the only thing going through her mind.

Suddenly, there was a knocking at her door that made her jump slightly.

"Ginny, dear, you haven't eaten anything." It was her mother. Ginny put her pillow over her head and rolled over onto her stomach. The knocking persisted.

"Ginny, you should really come out and eat something."

Now Ginny pulled the covers up over her head, trying to remember the spell to soundproof her room. She really wanted to be left alone, even though that meant replaying yesterday's events constantly in her mind.

"Ginny?"

Her mother tried entering, but Ginny had her door locked. Then, she heard a whispered "_Alohomora!_" and the door opened. Ginny feigned sleep, controlling her breathing so that it was slow and even. She sensed her mother coming to stand beside her bed. Ginny then heard the sound of a tray being put down on her bedside table, then her mother's footsteps as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Ginny sat up and re-locked her door with a wave of her wand. Then she glanced over at the tray on her bedside table. It held two sandwiches, some potato crisps, and a glass of pumpkin juice. She pulled the tray onto her lap, figuring that she could be out of her mind without starving.

When she finished eating, Ginny pulled her stack of papers onto her lap, deciding that she needed to distract herself and that she may as well get some work done. Lo and behold, the letter that she couldn't answer was right on top. She reread it a couple of times, then pulled out a parchment to try to formulate an answer.

_Dear Attracted to Opposites,_

_You're not really in love with him! He's probably __a lying, cheating bastard who_

_Dear Attracted to Opposites,_

_It's just crazy lust, not real love. He'll take __advantage of you and he'll_

_Dear Attracted to Opposites,_

_DON'T FALL FOR THE CHEAP ALLURE __OF LUST! _

Somehow, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with anything that would even be remotely helpful.In fact, everything that she wrote ended up somehow relating to yesterday's events. Somehow, all her answers ended up going back to Draco and all the madness that ensued his arrival at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

Eventually, she gave up on that letter and set it aside, telling herself that she could always go back to it when she cleared her mind. She systematically worked through the rest of her letters. At around 6 PM, she put down her final letter, gathered all her answers, and prepared them to be sent in to her boss. As she rubbed her tired eyes and realized that she had been holed up in her room all day, her thoughts led her back to snogging Draco in a garden shed. She nearly screeched as the memories flooded her again, held back all this time as she had focused on her work. Her mind was assaulting her with images, from yesterday and from her dreams, and worse, feelings. It was almost as if she were reliving parts of yesterday.

Ginny jumped onto her bed and started abusing her pillow, tears welling up in her eyes. Before she knew it, she was full out bawling. Maybe it was the seven cups of coffee she had consumed that were messing with her, or maybe she was out of her mind, or maybe she was simply too confused for words. She had thought there had been chemistry between them. She'd _felt_ the chemistry, or so she'd thought. But he treated it as if it was no big deal, snogging her then completely ignoring her. She had no clue what to do. She couldn't face him, because she was afraid she'd remember him half-naked unhooking her bra. She couldn't sit here and stew in her own feelings, because quite frankly that might drive her insane. Tears clouding her vision, she did the only thing she could think of: she pressed her pillow against her mouth and screamed.

* * *

Eventually, Ginny managed to fall asleep, skipping dinner altogether. She woke up around midnight with her stomach rumbling. Groping around in the dark until she found her wand, she got out of bed and crept along the silent corridors to the kitchen. Lighting her wand, she rummaged quietly around in the pantry until she found a box of crackers. While sneaking back up to her room, smuggled food in hand, she passed by Draco's room and heard mumbling coming from within. Ginny held her breath as she leaned against the door, really wishing she still had those Extendable Ears that Fred and George had given her as a teenager.

Ginny heard the sound of her name and instantly, she became more attentive, listening with all her might to catch the context in which she was being mentioned.

"Ginny…don't leave…so cold…Ginny…"

Thoroughly confused, she cracked open the door slightly, whispering, "_Knox!_" so as not to shine any light into the room and risk waking up Draco. Peering in, Ginny noticed that his sheets were tangled around his feet, he was hugging one of his pillows, and his face wasn't relaxed as one's face normally is when asleep, but rather he had an expression of worry and perhaps vexation. His pale skin was shining with sweat, his room illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through a gap in the curtains.

"Ginny…please…I…I…I didn't mean to, really…don't leave me…dying…Ginny…"

His sleep talking was starting to get intriguing. Ginny chanced opening the door a little bit more and leaned in so she could hear better.

"Ginny…he's coming…get me…kill me…too powerful…no chance…I l—"

"Ginny?"

Ginny whipped around. Standing behind her was a very perplexed Harry, who had apparently been on his way to the bathroom. She had been so caught up in what Draco was saying that she hadn't heard Harry's footsteps.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" he asked, his brow furrowed in utter confusion. He seemed to still be half-asleep. "Isn't that Draco's room?"

"Em…no, of course not," Ginny said, hoping that he was still asleep enough to be tricked. "I was just, erm…coming back from the bathroom."

"Oh…okay then. Don't let the bed bugs bite," he said dazedly, yawning as he staggered on towards the bathroom. Ginny noticed that he was only wearing one slipper. She scampered back to her room and shut the door quietly, making sure it didn't slam and wake up the whole house. For half and hour, she sat in bed munching her smuggled crackers and pondering what she had just heard. She fell asleep with a full belly, hoping that Harry would think he had dreamed up their little encounter outside of Draco's room.


	5. Someone Save Me

In the morning, Ginny was nearly certain that yesterday's depression of sorts was caused by her over-consumption of caffeinated drinks. And as for the encounter with Harry in the middle of the night, she wasn't even so sure that that had really happened, and to her relief Harry did in fact seem to think it had been a dream. So, her attitude that morning was a lot better than it had been the previous day. She was cheerful as she ate breakfast, then swept off to work with her nearly completed pile of letters and answers.

Her day went by unusually quickly, so by the time she got back to Headquarters, she had nearly forgotten everything that had happened during the battle the other day. However, as soon as she saw Draco brooding by the fire, everything came rushing back at once and she got slightly dizzy. Leaning on the doorframe, she closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying very hard to push those memories to the back of her mind.

"Ginny?"

Ginny opened her eyes and saw Draco about a foot in front of her. She was slightly startled, but she quickly overcame that and before she knew it, words were tumbling out of her mouth and it didn't seem like there'd be any stopping them.

"You!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "You disgust me! You took advantage of me! And to think I almost trusted you! You kiss me, hold me, nearly unclothe me, and then _ignore_ me!"

"Ginny, what are you talking about? _You_ kissed _me_! Why the hell would I kiss you, you b—"

"Shut up! You did, don't deny it. You scum, you foul little—"

"No, you shut up, Weasel, you just—"

"No, Malfoy, no, I've had enough of you. Why did I think you'd changed? Why did I think you weren't the same evil git? Why did I let you do this to me? Arg!" And with that, Ginny stormed away, leaving a speechless and fuming Draco in her wake.

For at least the third time that week, Ginny slammed the door to her room and locked herself in. She threw herself onto her bed and glared at the door, as though all this were its fault. She hadn't meant to explode like that, but at that moment she hated Draco Malfoy with every ounce of her being. Furious with herself and with him and with everything else, she chucked a pillow at the door. She clutched her other pillow to her chest and drew her knees up to her chin. Once again, she felt tears welling up in her eyes, but this time she made no effort to stop them.

She never wanted to see that greasy little git ever again! She hoped Voldemort took over Draco's body and then Harry killed him. She hoped that slimy little scumbag burned in the furthest depths of Hell. She hoped…she hoped…she hoped he would take it all back and sweep her off her feet, apologize, brush her hair back, and kiss her tenderly. But she knew that wouldn't happen. Malfoys don't apologize, nor do they fall in love with lowly Weasleys.

* * *

Once the flow of tears lessened, Ginny heard a knock on the door. She wiped her eyes and smoothed her hair, then got up to open the door. She found Ron standing there looking anxious.

"Ginny, we have to go, _now_," Ron said quickly. "You-Know-Who's attacking right now."

"Here?" Ginny said in a panicked voice.

"No, not here! Somewhere else—have you been crying? Ginny, what's the matter?"

"Not important," Ginny replied, grabbing her potion kit and running down the stairs after her brother. She found the residents of the house congregated in the front hall, with the exception of Draco of course. As soon as she and Ron arrived and touched the Portkey, they were whisked off.

This time, they arrived smack dab in the middle of a swirl of hexes and wands. Ginny had no time to get her bearings, because a Death Eater had already thrown himself on her. They shot spells back and forth, until Ginny was finally able to Stun him. She escaped that one with nothing but a gash across her cheek. However, before she had a chance to even take a breath, another Death Eater was fast approaching. Ginny lost herself in a haze of curses and people, not even aware of what was going on around her or how many people she fought.

Ginny was feeling rather lucky, as she had sustained very few injuries so far. However, her luck soon ran out. People were falling all around her, their faces blurring in her peripheral vision. She had been so focused on the Death Eater before her that she hadn't heard the one that came up behind her. She was hit with a spell from behind, square in the middle of her back, and she fell to the ground.

Ginny was increasingly aware of fewer and fewer things. She was trying to avoid the blackness gathering at the edges of her mind. She was dying slowly, she was sure of it. Her senses were becoming fuzzier. Her hearing was dimming, her eyesight failing. The darkness was steadily clouding her mind. The sharp pains that she had first felt were now slowly dulling. She would slowly drift off into the unconscious for the final time…

"Ginny!"

She was dimly aware of someone calling her name, but it sounded so far off, and she was so very weak. Her every limb felt like an overcooked noodle; her spine like a piece of string. She felt someone roll her onto her back. She blinked a few times, trying to get the face that had appeared in front of her into focus. However, it was blurred beyond recognition. All she could make out was shining blonde hair. _Angels are supposed to shine…Is this my angel, come to take me away?_

"Ginny! Ginny, wake up! No, Ginny, please! Don't die, don't die! Please…"

She could still hear that voice. _My angel's voice?_ It was vaguely familiar, but her mind was so clouded she could hardly think.

"Ginny! Ginny, please, don't die! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, just don't die! I…I…I love you!"

Something clicked in her increasingly fuzzy mind. _I love you…Someone just said I love you to me…My angel?_ She found it odd that her angel would be telling her not to die. But then, all sense of logic was becoming muddled, and her vision was even more blurred than before. She felt a hand fumbling around in the pocket of her robes. She was dimly aware of a voice by her ear.

"Hold on, Ginny, please! Don't give in, hold on! Don't die, Ginny, please…"

Someone opened her mouth and she felt a liquid being poured in as a hand held up her head. She swallowed instinctively, though she didn't know from where she found the strength to even do that. Her breathing was becoming shallower and shallower, as it was becoming steadily harder to inhale. She was still dimly aware of a voice whispering in her ear…dimly…dimly…not so dimly. Her mind was clearing, her vision sharpening, her hearing returning. The fuzziness was leaving her, but without the fuzziness the pain returned to her threefold. She gasped in pain and her breathing started returning to normal.

"Ginny!"

Ginny looked at the person who had just saved her. As the face swam into focus, she gasped again. She found herself looking up into the gray eyes of Draco Malfoy. _My angel…_

"D-D-Draco?" She barely had the breath to utter his name.

"Shh…" he said, gently lifting her into a sitting position and hugging her close. She found the strength to wrap her arms around his neck, resting her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating, so she concentrated on that, needing something on which to concentrate so she wouldn't slip back into the darkness that still lingered on the edges of her mind. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what was going on around her, afraid of what she might find. She just concentrated on Draco's heartbeat, making it the only thing that filled her mind. She could feel him holding her against him with one hand, stroking her hair with the other.

After a few moments, Ginny realized that the room was oddly quiet. She opened her eyes and looked around. The fighting had stopped. The dead were lying scattered on the floor, but all eyes were on one corpse. It had ghostly white skin, red eyes with catlike pupils, and slits for nostrils. Standing over it was Harry, red-faces and sweaty, breathing hard, looking like a total mess but victorious nevertheless.

He had triumphed—good had triumphed.

"It's over," Ginny whispered.

The Death Eaters had all gone, save for the dead. Lupin was striding serenely up to where Harry stood. Hermione was leaning on Ron, panting and staring at the former Dark Lord's corpse. It looked as though all the members of the Order were present, whether dead or alive.

Slowly, the realization that Voldemort had really been defeated dawned on everyone. Soon, the silence was filled with joyful congratulations as everyone went up to Harry, nervous laughter as people tentatively returned to a state of happiness, and tears as people discovered who had died. Ginny tuned it all out and turned her head to look up at Draco.

"You saved me," she said softly as he looked down and met her gaze.

He simply smiled, a rare thing indeed, and then kissed her deeply. Ginny, weak as she was, kissed back with just as much feeling. Vaguely, she heard her brother gasp as he saw whom his little sister was kissing, and heard Hermione tell him to stop staring and that it wasn't his business. However, Ginny couldn't care less if her brother disapproved. Draco had started out as her enemy, and had turned into her snarky little angel, as paradoxical as that is. And now that she was fairly certain that what she was feeling had nothing to do with caffeine, she knew exactly how to respond to the letter that had stumped her all this time.

_Dear Attracted to Opposites,_

_Just follow your heart. If indeed you two are meant to be together, you will be. And if not, then you'll move on. It will all work out, as long as you don't lose sight of what's in your heart._

_Don't lose sight of what's in your heart._ She had loved him all this time, she had known it, but it had taken a near-death experience to get her to finally admit it.

"I love you too," Ginny whispered.


End file.
